Foods to Avoid with Diabetes

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

User-submitted story by Aidan Bertie

We all are aware of the nuisance and the danger that comes with diabetes. This does include following certain norms when it comes to dietary habits and lifestyle. No matter how difficult or painful this gets for a diabetic person, he needs to follow them without any hesitation to ensure health. He requires to take care of what to eat and what to not. A diabetic has to avoid a lengthy list of foods especially sugar and fat-rich foods. Let us go through the foods to avoid with diabetes.

First of all, forget about carbohydrate-rich diet. Foods rich in fructose and glucose like table sugar and fruit juice concentrates, ice creams, donuts, chocolates, pastries, cookies and artificial sweeteners are very harmful and help in elevating the blood sugar levels quickly. If you cannot resist sugar completely, use sugar free. You must stay away from cholesterol rich foods like egg yolk, red meat, cheese, butter, and high-fat dairy products. It is said that diabetes raises the quantity of bad cholesterol and reduces the quantity of good cholesterol in the body. This makes a diabetic highly susceptible to heart ailments as bad cholesterol results in arterial blockage through plaque build-up. Studies claim that consuming a glass of fruit juice daily helps increase the diabetes risk. However, it is advisable that you eat whole fruit instead of drinking fruit juice as it is fibrous and healthy. The richness of fruit juice in carbohydrates makes them dangerous. However, you may have it in moderation, if recommended by a doctor. Although fruits and vegetables help lower your diabetes risk, doctors may advise you to avoid specific fruits that are high in sucrose and glucose content or to consume them moderately. You must avoid fruits and vegetables like strawberries, mangoes, dates, squash, and potatoes and instead, replace them by foods high in fiber like apples, raspberries, beet root, beans, carrots and pear. Excessive alcohol intake enhances the blood sugar levels and must be avoided. It may even damage your liver making it difficult for the liver and the body to control glucose levels. You must keep away from sodium rich foods and fried foods, especially the ones fried with hydrogenated oils. However, if you want to have some fried food occasionally, make sure that they are shallow fried with canola or olive oil.

Thus keep all these things into account. In addition, drink lots of water, exercise, sleep well and follow your doctor's advice without fail. Thus start living a healthy lifestyle and keep diseases and its effects at bay.